Picked a whole shoulder $1.49# seemed like a decent price. I mixed up Pops Brine and put it in and then injects a lot of it along the bone and into the muscle. Figuring on leaving it in for 3 weeks.

Sounds good to me! I have a piece of a boneless butt enjoying that same jaccuzzi.

So my questions are.

When I smoke would you take the skin off or leave it on. Never did a whole shoulder from fresh only picked up picnic hams that a company used to make.

I have done it both ways, the skin inhibits the rubs from getting to the meat. You have to cook it a awhile though to get it done. If I am cool smoking and then going to the oven I leave it on, nothing looks as right as that crisscrossed patten with whole cloves stuck in it. Its what you are planning to do.

Next would be how would you smoke it, I have Cookshack Electric, a Rec Tec Pellet and an Old Smokey 22" Charcoal grill.

You which ever one you like to smoke on, are you going to do a "Bearcarver Two-step"? A double smoke. I like that and I also do a cool smoke then come back and cook it in the oven in foil. Fall on the floor tender, very suseptible to glazes, and has that nice smoke flavor.

What wood would you use, I have some oak, pecan, hickory, mesquite, plum, apple.

I LOVE pecan!! That being said, hickory with some apple is the most common and what folks expect to taste. So if I am not just cooking for home, I'd do hickory/apple.

Fresh Picnic shoulder I brine cured for 4 weeks, took out rinsed well, Garlic Powder and Black Pepper. Left the skin on. Put it in the Cookshack skin down at 5:45am at 225° took it out 11 hours later internal temp was 178° came out very good, moist and tender. Was about 8# if I remember correctly when I bought it.

I ate way to much.

Getting ready for the Cookshack.

About 7 hours in Internal was 160° Not sure what happened to the pic, maybe it was the heat or something. A photographer I am not.